Mega Man 2's Soundtrack Will Forever Melt Your Face

Yes, it's as good as you remember

Today’s post is once again brought to you by my good friend, Alexander Hellene! I highly recommend his excellent Substack, his sweet science-fiction trilogy (I’m not even a big sci-fi guy, and I really enjoyed the Swordbringer series), or his music reviews. He’s a true Renaissance man, and most importantly to this Substack, a lover of fine vintage video games. I couldn’t be happier to feature his work on the Sonoran Videogame Society.

This post is part 2 in his multi-part series on excellent video game soundtracks. Check out this introductory post and Part 1 to learn more about this series.

As always, Sonoran Videogame Society is a Substack dedicated to playing and exploring video games with friends like you. Some posts are free, some are for paid subscribers only. Don’t forget to sign up here. Thanks for reading!

---

Release Date: December 24, 1988
Composer: Takashi Tateishi (credited as Ogeretsu Kun), Manami Matsumae (credited as Manami Ietel)
Rating: 8.1

---

Mega Man wasn’t a runaway, breakout hit for Capcom, but it did sell well enough to prove that the company could make games geared towards home consoles that didn’t have to be ports of arcade hits. Plus, the music was pretty bangin’. I’ve been unable to find sales numbers, though some sources claim they were unimpressive¹—I’ve found that the first Mega Man sold 31,941 copies in Japan,² where it was called Rockman, but I am unable to find international sales figures. Still, considering that 1986’s NES port of Ghosts n’ Goblins sold 1,640,000 copies, good for 38th best-selling NES game of all time, and it’s no wonder Capcom’s top brass weren’t exactly chomping at the bit for more Mega Man.

Still, someone must’ve believed in the Blue Bomber, because Capcom greenlit a sequel . . . provided the team made it on their own free time. Apparently, they used some unused assets from the first game, and in general kept the look and feel while refining the gameplay and adding more. More bosses! More levels! More weapons! And more music!

It sounds like an intense time for the Mega Man team, which included producer Tokuro Fujiwara, programmer Nobuyuki Matsusbima, sound programmer Yoshihiro Sakaguchi, and artists Yasuaki Kishimoto, Naoya Tomita, Keiji Inafine, and Akira Kitamura:

The first Mega Man game—released in 1987—was not successful enough to justify the immediate development of a sequel. According to Roy Ozaki, director Akira Kitamura had wanted to make a sequel to Mega Man, but producer Tokuro Fujiwara was against it. Kitamura then went to Capcom Vice-President [sic] to get permission to make the game. Capcom allowed the development team to create a sequel on the condition that they work concurrently on other projects as well. The staff spent their own time on the project to improve upon the original by adding more levels and weapons, as well as improving the graphics. [citations omitted]

Per Inafune:

So we, of our own accord, got together, spent our own time, we worked really, really hard, you know, just 20-hour days to complete this, because we were making something we wanted to make. Probably in all my years of actually being in a video game company, that was the best time of my working at Capcom, because we were actually working toward a goal, we were laying it all on the line, we were doing what we wanted to do. And it really showed in the game, because it’s a game, once again, that we put all our time and effort and love, so to speak, into it, designing it.

Other elements were added to the Mega Man formula, including a password system so the game didn’t have to be finished in one sitting, three devices used to help Mega Man traverse the levels, and energy tanks to refill Mega Man’s life meter on the fly.

There was also the addition of the Dr. Wily castle map screen, which became another series mainstay, as well as an opportunity for more music.

Interestingly, Mega Man 2 also began the series tradition of soliciting fan input for the robot master names and designs. Of the reported 8,370³ fan submissions, eight were chosen.

Music was handled by Takashi Tateishi after Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae was moved to Capcom’s more prestigious arcade division. Tateishi had worked with Matsumae previously, and Matsumae provided a little music for Mega Man 2, notably some of Air Man’s theme. But this game was Tateishi’s baby, interesting considering he was (a) not classically trained, being a musician in a rock band, and (b) a relative newcomer to Capcom. Prior to Mega Man 2, he’d worked on U.N. Squadron with Manami and a Japan-only game called Mad Gear.

Tateishi was given scant direction for his compositions:

Tateishi’s composed video game music by first receiving a mood from his director, often a single word or phrase like, “hot” for Heatman or “hurry up!” for Quickman. With that in mind, he would begin composing his songs on a synthesizer keyboard. He would play his song for his director and, if it was approved, a programmer would convert his music to work in a tracker program that was designed for whatever hardware the game used for audio. At Capcom it was Yoshihiro Sakaguchi. Tateishi explained that, when he was writing music for games, he preferred FM synthesis of arcade hardware, but, looking back, he appreciates the sound of the NES APU more.

His first submissions, however, were deemed too “cute,” so back to the drawing board he went. And whatever happened, it worked, with Tateishi creating a soundtrack widely considered one of the best ever that helped redefine video game music and point to what it could be.

And he didn’t even know it.

We’ll get to the music later, but Mega Man 2 proved to be the breakout console hit Capcom hoped for, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide. The first game’s proof of concept proved sound, and with the second game’s success, you know there would be further sequels. So many sequels . . .

It’s safe to say this is where Mega Man became MEGA MAN. Maybe it was the box art . . .

That’s the Japanese box art, which looked pretty excellent. The North American box art, well . . .

It’s certainly a step up from the first game’s amateurish nightmare with a hero sporting a “I just crapped my pants and I really hope nobody notices” grimace⁴, but it’s still odd. Quick Man and Crash Man are identifiable, Mega Man looks like Mega Man, and the action takes place on what looks like a lava level. But still, why is Dr. Light directing Crash Man to attack Mega Man instead of Dr. Wily? And why is Mega Man using a pistol? Artist Marc Ericksen explains:

What happened was I had to go down to Capcom and do a game they just got in from Japan. They had a beta version; they were in a hurry to get this thing out. So I went down there. The gentlemen was the art director was there with the beta guy and they were waiting for me and I came with my pad and they started running the game. What we saw was this little pixelated figure of the famous Mega Man running around on the screen shooting. Bang, bang, bang, he’s shooting obviously like this with his arm. So I said to the art director, “what is he shooting? What is he shooting with?” The art director said, “he must have a pistol because I don’t see that he’s got a rifle so he must have a pistol.”

“So . . . a pistol? You want me to do a pistol?” And he said, “yeah, let’s put a pistol in there.” So I did what I was told and I put the pistol in there. Add to the fact that they only had, like, a day and a half for me to do the painting and what you wound up with was not the greatest result but certainly a result that was not my fault.

I like it. It has a charm. The European box art, though . . .

Now we’re getting into “So bad it’s good” territory.

But not the music. The music is in “So good it’s almost unbelievable that it’s coming out of this small gray box” territory.

Before we begin, I need to amend my rating system. In calculating the overall rating for Mega Man 2, I noticed that the incidental music—the password screen, the boss select sting, the “Weapon Get” theme, the Wily map, defeating a boss, etc.—tended to drag the overall score down to a degree that is both inaccurate and unwarranted. Therefore, all of these incidental bits of music will be averaged out and rolled into one rating, called “Incidental Music.” It’ll make sense when we get there, I promise.

---

Title Screen:

In a brilliant nod to the first game, Mega Man 2’s title theme starts out by recapitulating the first part of Mega Man’s ending theme. However, instead of building up to the expected main ending melody (while the camera pans to the top of the skyscraper atop which Mega Man gazes into the city), we get a descending burst of sound like a pick-slide on a highly distorted electric guitar that blazes into a power-chord type melody with galloping bass and drums. One of the first things you’ll notice is that Mega Man 2’s music just sounds fuller and more robust. I chalk it up to more familiarity with the NES’s sound hardware.

This melody rocks. It has a cool B-section with a melody like a guitar solo and fun percussion “doops” that sort of sound like roto toms. Some fun, tight riffing neatly wraps up the theme to a conclusion. This, coupled the short story sequence, definitely gets you pumped to play. Let’s go! 8.8

---

Menu/Password (Incidental):

This is a simple melody over a shuffling 12/8 beat with some busy, bouncing, upper-register bass and some more of those percussive “doops,” which always please my ear. I like how the melody alternates between an E and an F at the end of each phrase. It’s short, catchy, and pleasant, something you wouldn’t mind hearing over a long period. 7.0

---

Stage Select:

This theme is a classic, with a very cool use of rhythm: four ascending phrases of three, and one ascending phrase of four creates an odd-time feel, even though it’s just two bars of standard time. It makes you feel unsettled, perfect for selecting a robot master to take on. The percussion is effective, and the bass plays a syncopated countermelody. Further, Tataeishi creates a fun call-and-response with the melody between the primary and secondary channels. There’s so much creativity in such a short theme. 7.2

---

Boss Select (Incidental):

It’s the same as in the first game with a slightly updated sound. Why mess with success? 7.0

---

Bubble Man:

Listen to how full that sounds! This theme has a simple, memorable intro with a low, horn-like sound and, yes, a “bubbling” triangle wave burble in the background. I love the little hits before the main melody comes on. There are all sorts of great flourishes throughout, like the lower square wave which builds the foundation until the higher melody enters. Speaking of the melodies, they are linear, scalar, and effective. Very terse and rock-like as opposed to something longer; punchy as opposed to complicated, but hardly simplistic. The rhythmic B-section has an ear-catching bass countermelody, and there are great cross-rhythms and busy arpeggios during the breakdown. One of many that could be a legit rock song—in fact, there’s a reason rock bands love to cover this game’s soundtrack. 8.8

---

Crash Man:

Time for a dance party! Crash Man’s theme is apparently the only one of Tateishi’s “too cute” initial works that made it into the final game,⁵ and it’s a fun one. This piece sports a supremely catch baseline that’s just a G to an E with a funky, chromatic walkup with plenty of octave-leaps and accents. It’s like an amped-up version of the first game’s Elec Man theme. There is great percussion and a melody that offers some cool harmonic dissonance, starting on a D and walking down from an F.

The main melody, over a sub-melody that sounds like fast-picked guitars, keeps going up and up, just like the level, playing around with the rhythmic and melodic motif and ending in a great flourishing turnaround that brings it back to the beginning. The tropical feel of the B-section with the fun busy bass and ending tom fill goes way harder than it has to, just like this theme in general. There’s not much explosive or “Crash Man” like about it, but that doesn’t matter when you can’t get this theme out of your head. 8.7

---

Flash Man:

Here’s a cool-sounding theme, perfect for Flash Man’s oddly icy level. We start with a minor-key, spy-movie riff with catchy rhythms before exploding into a disco-esque, twisting melody that climbs but doesn’t quite reach the apex. I love when the two channels come together for the short, descending riff, as well as the bass that plays slightly across it. This theme utilizes the secondary square wave channel for some rhythmic underpinning, and while it’s a bit repetitive and samey, it never overstays its welcome because it’s so catchy. 8.5

---

Heat Man:

A lot of people really like this theme, and I get it. It does bubble and simmers. It does cook. It does—ahem—BRING THE HEAT. But while I like the challenging, heavy metal feel of the main riff and the longer-toned, linear follow-up that gives way to an angular turnaround, it has no real catharsis and stays at a low boil. Which, when viewed alongside the stage itself, makes perfect sense: it burbles and gurgles like lava, and it fits the stage perfectly. It also just sounds good. 7.5

---

Metal Man:

Now we’re cooking. Here’s some dance-rock; I can easily imagine two guitars playing these lines: one is terse and busy, the other lower and linear. And that bassline! Nice and busy. The main melody sounds like an early 2000s indie rock jam. It’s a short piece with fun, disco/dance drums and an overall metallic feel that actually brings to mind the Fire Man theme from Mega Man. Short and sweet. 8.5

---

Wood Man:

Great drum intro, beating on those faux toms, before a big slide that ushers in some galloping bass and drums. Incessant and driving, with that awesome, moody scalar main melody going at a breakneck pace—it really makes you want to keep going, keep fighting. But it doesn’t scream “Wood Man.” At the end of the day, the adrenaline is pumping too much to matter. The B-section goes up a flat-III and features some echoing square wave, and I like how the second channel drops out before a descending flurry of notes brings the theme back to the top. It’s fun, but perhaps not quite as dramatic as it was going for. 8.3

---

Quick Man:

Another use of that Fire Man-stage metallic percussion; fitting, because some of the enemies in Quick Man’s stage shoot those little fire guys from Fire Man’s level. So the overall feel is more fiery than quick, but fire is quick, right? I don’t know. Either way, this is a fun Latin/Afro-Cuban two-chord vamp that gives way to a melody with some nice long tones. I love the flurry of 16th notes at the end of each phrase before the B-section begins. It has a nice, tightly rhythmic turnaround and the overall piece is short and catchy. I don’t listen to this in isolation and think of laser beams coming to obliterate Mega Man, but it still somehow fits. 8.5

---

Air Man:

Now here’s a theme that goes hard! Not only is that descending chromatic hook catchy, I love how it implies a slight hitch in the tom-heavy groove. There is a great, busy bassline underneath the main melody which is basically a screaming guitar solo over an I-bVII chord progression, a rock music staple. The soaring melody in the short turnaround with the drum fills is effective and when it loops back around, you already find yourself eager for the guitar solo again. Just an absolutely stellar theme that doesn’t make you feel like you’re floating in the clouds, but definitely sends the intensity into the stratosphere. For my money, this is the best robot master theme in Mega Man 2. 9.0

---

Wily Castle Map (Incidental):

A nine-second little jingle that is fun and off-kilter, and lets Mega Man know he’s in for some twisted challenges. Dig the siren-like sound in the background. You know what’s up. 6.8

---

Wily Stages 1 + 2 Theme:

The one everybody loves, and for good reason. This theme cooks. It sounds like it could be an emo song, with the strident, galloping bassline and drums (a trick Tateishi employs quite often in this soundtrack), terse rhythmic phrases, and moody chord progression. It really makes you want to run! The melody is incredibly well-constructed, wrapping on itself quite nicely, and the echoey square wave of the secondary melody is a little brighter; check out the countermelodies on the lower channel. And then when the melody comes back for the second time, there’s another melody playing a variation on a theme underneath. The second chorus then features some upper-register bass. The B-section is great, with the two lead channels playing in unison and some walking octave bass—it’s a short and satisfying turnaround. Run, Mega Man, there’s a giant dragon behind you! Simply perfect. 9.3

---

Wily Stages 3 + 4 Theme:

I have to give this theme more points for compositional creativity than I do for the actual melody. The melody is good, and the simple four-note motif is queasy sounding, and creates a palpable sense of unease in the player, but it’s very short and repetitive and there’s not much to it. The furious bassline underneath the long tones only adds to the tension. However, what makes this theme so cool and unique is that it modulates every time through, and it cycles through all twelve keys before finally repeating. That’s really interesting and a wonderful use of keys to create an unsettling feeling. 8.1

---

Boss Theme:

Great four-chord buildup with a short fanfare before the main melody kicks in. I like how it’s highly rhythmic, only accentuated by the bass part. It’s not as frenetic as Mega Man’s boss theme, but it’s catchier and better sounding. It might not make your blood boil, but it’s still intense, and you’ll be hearing it plenty during a few of the trickier, longer boss battles. 6.5

---

Stage Clear (Incidental):

You did it! Yay! The drum intro is cool. 4.2

---

Weapon Get (Incidental):

A fun, catchy drumbeat . . . not much else to say! 4.0

---

Game Over (Incidental):

You are dead. This theme makes you feel appropriately ashamed. 4.0

---

Wily Defeated (Incidental):

A short, triumphant fanfare that does its job. 5.5

---

Ending Theme:

This is a long piece of music that goes through three distinct parts:

Part 1:

We begin on the iii chord (a C# minor), which is an interesting choice, but appropriate for this bittersweet piece. We have a moody arpeggio which eventually goes through a few major chords, like sunshine breaking through the clouds. There’s a beautiful call and response, then we get a descending bassline under a steadily ascending melody—tension and release. It ends on the V chord (an E major), which gives it a slightly unfinished feel—perfect for the visuals the piece is accompanying.

Part 2:

This brings us back to the main title theme—always a good time!

Part 3:

Upbeat and fun! It’s a two-chord vamp with the bass taking center stage that almost sounds like a variation on the Air Man theme, but more spacious and with snappier drums. Eventually we get a drumbeat that sounds like the Weapon Get theme with a really busy melody that’s all over the place, triumphant and dense. Eventually, we get a variation on the title theme, with a fitting echo on the very last note. It gives a real sense of accomplishment that the player certainly earned . . . especially if you play on the “Difficult” setting. 8.7

---

---

Let’s tally up our scores. First, we’ll get the overall Incidental Music rating: 7.0 + 7.0 + 6.8 + 4.2 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 5.5 = 38.5/7 = 5.5

Now, let’s tally everything together:

5.5 + 8.8 + 7.2 + 8.8 + 8.7 + 8.5 + 7.5 + 8.5 + 8.3 + 8.5 + 9.0 + 9.3 + 8.1 + 6.5 + 8.7 = 121.9/15 = 8.1

Man, this feels way too low. I need to figure out a better way to handle the incidental music. See, if I take that out, we end up with 116.4/14, which would get us an 8.3, which also feels too low. But math don’t lie! I think I saw that on a t-shirt once.

---

Everyone loves the Mega Man 2 soundtrack. I mean, everyone. One of my favorite covers is by the rock band Bit Brigade, who performs game music live while their fifth band member utterly destroys the game live on a big projection screen:

Takeishi seems like he keeps a pretty low personal profile in general; he did score some other NES games for Capcom, including Willow. MobyGames has a list of stuff he’s worked on in one capacity or another, and it’s quite extensive. He even did uncredited work on the Abobo’s Big Adventure fan game, which if you’ve ever played is, uh, decidedly NSFW.

All told, Takeishi created a true masterpiece here. And we also have to give a shout-out to his colleague Manami Matsumae, who not only laid the groundwork for the Mega Man sound, but worked on this game. I leave you with an interview with the two of them from last year, given for Mega Man 2’s 35th anniversary.

Takaeshi truly raised the bar for video game music, and his impact is still being felt. Will later Mega Man composers be up to the challenge? Will I ever iron out my rating system? Stay tuned!

NEXT UP: Mega Man 3

1. As with my previous post, I am leaning heavily on the Wikipedia article for Mega Man 2, as, with regards to video games and music, it tends to be a good collection of other sources for further research.

2. See Video Game Sales Wiki, “Mega Man,” available at https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Mega_Man.

3. That sounds like quite a few for the sequel to a game that flew under the radar.

4

5

Mo: It must have been an intimidating project to tackle.

Tateishi: I was actually quite happy to be involved with Mega Man 2, as I loved the first game. But my first few attempts at creating songs were rejected by Kitamura-san for making music that sounded too cute. I was asked to make "cooler" music. In fact, of all the songs I made in that first pass, only Crash Man made it into the final game.

Mo: That's interesting. Of the eight boss themes, Crash Man is the one that feels the most different.

Tateishi: At the beginning, all of the songs were similar to that. I ended up making totally new ones.